Cupel machine



Jan. 11, 1955 M. E. GRIFFITH 2,698,981

CUPEL MACHINE Filed Feb. 25. 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1 Fig Mark E. Griffith INVENTOR.

Jan. 11, 1955 GRlFFlTH 2,698,981

CUPEL MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Mark E. arimm IN VEN TOR.

Jan. 11, 1955 M. E. GRIFFITH CUPEL MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 25. 1952 Mark E. Griffith INVENTOR.

Jan ll, 1955 M. E. GRIFFITH 2,698,981

CUPEL MACHINE Filed Feb. 25, .1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig.4

Mark E. Griffith INVENTOR.

United States Patent CUPEL MACHINE Mark E. Griffith, East Helena, Mont.

Application February 25, 1952, Serial No. 273,237

3 Claims. (Cl. 25-27) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in cupel machines and the primary object of the present invention is to provide a cupel producing machine having means for simultaneously forming a cupel as a formed cupel is ejected.

An other important object of the invention is to provide a cupel machine including a rotatable turret having a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings or pockets therein for receiving bone ash and a pair of vertically reciprocating rodlike members for respectively forming a cupel in one opening in the turret and ejecting a previously formed cupel from another opening in the turret.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cupel machine of the aforementioned character involving a pneumatically actuated means for imparting vertical movement to the rod-like members and which pneumatically actuated means is operatively connected to a perforated tube that enters a bone ash receiving chamber to agitate the material therein as the pneumatically actuated gieans is activated to permit lowering of the rod-like memers.

A still further aim of the present invention is to provide a cupel machine that is simple and practical in construction, strong and reliable in use, small and compact in structure, efiicient and durable in operation, inexpensive to manufacture, service and operate, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operations as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part thereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the present in- Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 66 of Figure 2;

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 7-7 of Figure 2;

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view of Figure 3 with the hopper supporting shaft broken away to show the discharge punch and piston rod raised to their operative positions;

Figure 9 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 9--9 of Figure 8; and, Figure 10 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of section line 1010 of Figure 4.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, there is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the numeral 10 represents a frame generally, including a base or lower wall 12, an upper wall 14 and a plurality of laterally spaced vertical legs 16 that are suitably fixed at their lower ends to the base 12. The upper ends of the legs 16 are fixed to an angle iron part 18 that carries horizontally disposed fasteners 20 which engage and retain the wall 14 within the part 18.

Wall 14 is formed with a central opening or aperture 22 in which the lower end of a vertical shaft 24 is suitably secured. Wall 14 is also provided with a pair of circumferentially spaced openings 26 and 28. A cylindrical turret or rotary member 30 is formed with a central opening 32, accommodating shaft 24, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings 34, 36, 38 and 40 for selectively registering with the openings 26 and 23.

The lower end of opening 32 is provided with a countersink or enlargement 42 in which there is received a ballbearing unit 44. The ball-bearing unit 44 embraces the tubular shaft 24 and rests upon a Wear plate 46 on the upper face of the wall 14. Plate 46 is formed with a central opening receiving the shaft 24 and a pair of openings in registry with the openings 26 and 28.

A hopper 48 is removably supported on the shaft 24 and includes a mounting means in the form of a sleeve 50 that engages over the upper reduced end 52 of shaft 24. Sleeve 50 is connected to the upper portion of hopper 48 by a rigid brace strap 54 and sleeve 50 is also connected to the lower discharge end 56 of the hopper by a cross strap 58. A set screw 60 carried by the sleeve 50 engages the upper end of the shaft 24 to removably secure the hopper on the shaft.

The sleeve portion 62 of a rigid wall member or blocking element 64 is suitably secured to the shaft 24 above the turret. The wall member 64 overlies and closes a selected one of the openings in the turret and faces the opening 26 in the wall 14. A casing member 66 is suitably attached to or fixed to sleeve portion 62 and is open at its top and bottom. Chamber forming member 66 is arcuate and registers with two of the openings in the turret at all times and the open top of the member 66 receives the lower end 56 of the hopper 48 as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings.

A vertically disposed cylinder 68 is removably secured to the base 12 and slidably receives therein a piston 70 that is attached to the lower end of a vertically movable piston rod 72.

A nut element 74 is threaded into the upper end of the cylinder 68 and forms an adjustable abutment for a coil spring 76 that embraces the rod 72 and which is biased between the nut 74 and the piston 78 to yieldingly urge the upper end of the piston rod 72 downwardly from the opening 26 in registry therewith.

One end of an arcuate arm 78 is secured to the upper portion of piston rod 72 and the other end of arm 78 is secured to a vertically disposed discharge punch or rod-like member 80. The piston rod 72 and discharge punch 80 move as a unit and the upper end of the discharge punch extends above the upper end of the piston rod and enters the opening 28 even when the rod 72 is lowered as shown in Figure 3.

An angle iron supporting element 82 is fixed by welding of the like to a pair of the legs 16 and supports a three-way valve 84 having its inlet end coupled to a conduit 86 extending from a source of air pressure. One outlet of the valve is connected to a copper tubing 88 that extends into the lower end of the cylinder 68. The other outlet of the valve is coupled to a flexible copper tubing 90 whose outer arcuate end portion 92 extends through and is suitably retained within the casing member 66. The upper periphery of portion 92 is formed with radial perforations 94 and the lower periphery of portion 92 is fornigd with vertical perforations 96, as shown in Figure A plate member 98 overlies and is supported on the upper end of hopper 48. Hinged plate member 98 is retained on the hopper by means 100 and includes an upstanding neck 102 over which the open end of a filter sack or bag 104 is received.

In practical use of the present invention, two of the openings in the turret, for example openings 34 and 36, are in registry with the casing member 66 to receive bone ash from the hopper. Opening 38 is in registry with opening 26 and opening 48 is in registry with the opening 28.

As the turret is rotated a quarter of a turn by hand grips 106 projecting radially from the turret, opening 36 will be in registry with opening 26; opening 38 will be in registry with opening 28; and openings 34 and 40 will be in registry with the casing member 66.

The valve handle 108 is actuated to admit air under pressure into the cylinder 68 which will effect a raising of the piston rod 72 and the punch 80. Each of the openings in the turret receives a cupel mold M and the mold in the opening 36, which is now in registry with the opening 26 will be forced upwardly by the piston rod to compress the bone ash against wall member 64.

Handle 108 is then actuated to a second position to permit air in the cylinder 68 to be forced back through tubing 88 and hence outwardly through tubing 90. As air is discharged from portion 92 of tubing 90, the bone ash will be agitated in the hopper end 56 and the casing member 66 and properly packed in the two openings of the turret in registry with the casing member. During this phase of the operation, the piston 70 and rod 72 will be lowered by spring 76.

Next, the handle 108 is lowered to its initial position and the turret again rotated a quarter turn to bring opening 34 in registry with opening 26; opening 36 in registry with opening 28; and openings 38 and 40 in registry with casing member 66.

Valve handle 108 is then actuated to raise piston rod 72 and punch 80 to form a new cupel in opening 34 and eject the cupel in opening 36 which was just formed by the punch 80 when opening 36 was in registry with opening. 26. The valve handle is moved to its second position to relieve the cylinder 68 and agitate the bone ash in the casing member by permitting the discharge of air from the portion 92 of tubing 90.

The above procedure is repeated so that one cupel will be formed as a formed cupel is ejected, with the agitating of the bone ash in the casing member being accomplished before the turret is rotated each quarter turn. In Figure 8 the turret 30 has been rotated so that opening 38 is in registry with opening 26 and further so that opening 40 will be in registry with opening 28. The valve has been moved to etfect a raising of the piston rod 72 and the punch 80 to show how the cupel previously formed in opening 40 will be raised to an ejected position as the bone ash in opening 38 is pressed against wall member 64 to form a cupel in the opening 38.

In view of the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings it is believed that a clear understanding of the device will be quite apparent to those skilled in this art. A more detailed description is accordingly deemed unnecessary.

It is to be understood, however, that even though there is herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention the same is susceptible to certain changes fully comprehended by the spirit of the invention as herein described and the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new 1s:

1. A machine for producing cupels, said machine comprising a supporting frame including an upper horizontal wall having a central aperture and a pair of circumferentially spaced openings, a turret rotatably supported on the wall and having a vertical shaft positioned in the aperture, said turret also having a series of circumferentially spaced openings for selectively registering with the openings in said wall, one opening in said turret being in registry with one opening in the wall and one opening in the turret being in registry with the other opening in the wall during operation of the machine, means for rotating the turret to sequentially bring the openings in the turret into registry with the openings in the wall, a wall member overlying a portion of the turret and blocking the upper end of the opening in the turret in registry with one of the openings in the wall, a vertically slidable piston rod received in said one of the openings in the wall and extendable upwardly into the opening in the turret in registry therewith to compress a material against the wall member and form a cupel, and a vertically slidable discharge punch received in the other opening in the wall and extendable upwardly through an opening in the turret for discharging a cupel previously formed by the piston rod, and a piston attached to said rod, a cylinder receiving the piston and fluid pressure means connected to the cylinder for raising the piston and the piston rod, and a conduit extending from the fluid pressure means and having a perforated portion overlying two of the openings in the turret, that are out of registry with the openings in the wall to agitate bone ash entering the said two openings.

2. A cupel machine comprising a supporting frame, a turret rotatably supported on the frame and having a series of circumferentially spaced openings therein, a hopper having a discharge end overlying two of the openings in the turret for supplying bone ash thereto, a pair of connected spaced parallel vertically slidable rod members movable upwardly into selected openings in the turret, a wall element overlying the turret and one of the rod members to form a pressing surface for the said one of the rod members, a jack cylinder operatively connected to the said one of the rod members for raising the rod members as a unit, a conduit leading from a source of air pressure and connected to said jack cylinder for operating the latter, a three way valve in the conduit, and a spray tube within the discharge end of said hopper and connected to said valve for agitating material entering the two openings which the discharge end overlies.

3. A cupel machine comprising a supporting frame, a turret rotatably supported on the frame and having a series of circumferentially spaced openings therein, a hopper having a discharge end overlying two of the openings in the turret for supplying bone ash thereto, a pair of connected spaced parallel vertically slidable rod members movable upwardly into selected openings in the turret, a wall element overlying the turret and one of the rod members to form a pressing surface for the said one of the rod members, a jack cylinder operatively connected to the said one of the rod members for raising the rod members as a unit, a conduit leading from a source of air pressure and connected to said jack cylinder for operating the latter, said jack cylinder including a piston movable upwardly as air under pressure enters the lower end of the cylinder, a spring urging the piston downwardly, and a spray tube in the discharge end of the hopper and operatively connected to said conduit to receive air forced from the cylinder as the piston is lowered by said spring, said spray tube agitating bone ash entering the openings which the discharge end of said hopper overlies.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 620,809 Taylor Mar. 7, 1899 637,081 Calkins Nov. 14, 1899 998,474 Dessau July 18, 1911 1,461,159 Picot July 10, 1923 2,522,936 Ferguson Sept. 19, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 79,922 Switzerland June 2, 1919 

